hello everybody. Im new. so hello and i hope you guys can help. ive done alot of searching for this. I found a few things that im going to do or try. My problem is my jeep wont start. i jumped it and it would run for a few seconds then die. I pushed started it and drove it around a parking lot and now i runs fine. when i went to drive it home my volt meter on the instrument cluster red 19 v and gauge waring light came on infoing me on the battery meter high volts. and then just as i was looking at it the warning went away and the volts went back down to 14 volts normal. then a few miles down the road same thing then back to normal. Now i say battery cables battery is good 12.38v when trying to crank, but only clicking is happening. Battery cables have never been changed. Ive read possiblities, starter soloniod, starter, even possible altinator. i went to check the connections on the altinator red wire which bolts straight to the altinator was good, but the plug that attaches to the back of the altinator was alittle melted on the inside where the prongs are. so what do you guys think? by the way the jeep is a 2000 model 4.0L
Oh and the alarm is very tempermental on this and i have already sortive ruled it out on this problem, but i would like to remove the alarm, it looks factory alarm, so does anybody now how to remove it completely?
thanks so much for your help.

compshooter

10-11-2007 11:58 AM

It's the ground side of your battery. Check and make sure the cable is tight to the battery post on the negative side. Hell, check the positive side too while you're in there. If the negative side is tight, then trace the cable down to where it grounds to the frame. My bet is that it is loose on the frame (or wherever the end of the ground cable goes).

KenJohnson

07-11-2010 09:17 PM

It looks like compshooter is correct.

I experienced the same intermittent 19 Volt reading on the voltmeter in my daughter's 2000 4.0L. A few times I pulled over, jumped out, and measured the voltage at the battery with a digital voltmeter with the engine running. Reading ~13.6 Volts. Seemed a bit low, but perhaps that's where it sits. I don't yet have much experience with the vehicle.

I cleaned and tightened the negative battery post after reading this thread and also followed the ground down to the upper mounting bolt of the starter motor on the bell housing side of the starter. The bolt was loose. After tightening the bolt the battery reading went to ~14.5 Volts (running) and the 19V behavior has thus far not reoccurred.

Perhaps I should have thought about it. I replaced the clutch six days before the problem started. The loose bolt either hadn't been tightened correctly or it had vibrated loose. I suspect the former to be honest.

At any rate, I joined the forum to offer confirmation and say thanks for the solution.

obidya

11-30-2011 12:22 PM

you guys with the 19v spike... you may also want to check your voltage regulator. You should not be seeing a spike that high. It sounds like you got it locked down and figured out, but me personally... I would still double check the regulator.